The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts.
2020 February
The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed by state health officials on February 1. Massachusetts became the fifth state in the U.S. to report a case of COVID-19. The individual, a University of Massachusetts Boston student, had returned to Boston from Wuhan, China. Upon returning to Boston he began experiencing symptoms and sought medical care.
175 executives of Biogen, a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, held a two-day leadership conference from February 26–28 at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel. On February 29, a Biogen executive began to develop symptoms and sought treatment at a Boston area hospital. Suspecting COVID-19 was the cause of the illness, the executive requested a test, but was told by hospital staff that it was not necessary.
March March 1–7
On March 2, the second confirmed case in Massachusetts was reported. The patient was a woman in her 20s from Norfolk County. She had recently traveled to Italy with a school group from Saint Raphael Academy in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She was the third person from the trip to test positive, with two people from Rhode Island who had gone on the trip also testing positive.
On March 4, staff from Biogen contacted the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to report that two executives who had recently traveled from Europe to Boston and had attended the February employee meeting had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 upon returning home. The same day, a "significant number" of Biogen employees asked to be tested for the virus at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which had not been informed that anyone at the company had been exposed. The state police announced Shattuck Street would be closed because a group of 60 individuals were being transported along the route to Brigham and Women's Hospital. On March5, Biogen reported that three individuals who had attended the company event in Boston the previous week had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
On March 6, public health officials reported five new cases bringing the state total to eight. Four cases were in Suffolk County, three in Norfolk County, and one in Middlesex County. Two cases were associated with travel to Italy and one to Wuhan. All five new cases were associated with the Biogen meeting.
On March 7, five more presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 were reported, bringing the total to 13. Among those cases was the index case in Berkshire County, a man in his 60s from Clarksburg whose infection could not be traced.
March 8–14
On March 8, the MDPH reported 15 more presumptive cases of COVID-19, all of which were individuals present at the Biogen conference, bringing the total to 28. In response to the outbreak, Biogen instituted remote work. The fifteen new presumptive cases included five from Suffolk County, five from Middlesex County, four from Norfolk County, and one whose county of residence was unknown. Officials in North Carolina reported that five residents of Wake County tested positive for COVID-19; all five were participants in the previous week's Biogen meeting in Boston.
On March 10, the first evidence of community transmission, also known as community spread, was found in a handful of cases in the Berkshires. A man in Sudbury tested presumptive positive for COVID-19, and the first case in Essex County was also reported. "Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency, giving the Administration more flexibility to respond to the Coronavirus outbreak."
On March 12, there were 108 people in Massachusetts with confirmed or presumptive cases of COVID-19. Among those cases, 82 (75% of the total) were associates or employees of Biogen. Governor Baker said the state had tested more than 200 patients and had the capacity to test up to 5,000. The Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel, which had hosted the Biogen company gathering, closed temporarily. In a letter to their guests, the hotel said it made the decision in cooperation with the Boston Public Health Commission. Acton-Boxborough announced school closures from March 13 until March 20.
On March 13, the Boston Marathon was postponed from April 20 until September 14. A few hours later, Governor Baker prohibited gatherings of more than 250 people. The measure was targeted at large events and exempted most workplaces, transit buildings, polling locations, government buildings, and schools. Cardinal O'Malley, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston, announced that all daily and Sunday masses and other religious services would be suspended in the Archdiocese of Boston until further notice. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced that Boston Public Schools would be closed starting on March 17 until April 27. Woburn announced that a presumptive positive case in the city had been confirmed as negative.
On March 14, Cape Cod (Barnstable County) confirmed its first case, a man in his 60s from Sandwich. Officials in Worcester and Malden both announced their respective cities' first confirmed case of COVID-19, both linked to Biogen. Of the state's 138 cases, 104 (75%) could be traced to employees or contacts of Biogen.
A 59-year-old Worcester man died on a flight from Dubai to Boston, sparking speculation that he had died from COVID-19. He had been sick with gastrointestinal problems and was in cardiac arrest during the flight. On March 16, Massachusetts State Police said an autopsy revealed he did not have COVID-19.
March 15–21
On March 15, Baker ordered all public and private schools in Massachusetts to close for three weeks, from March 17 through April7. The same day, he also banned eating at restaurants, banned gatherings of more than 25 people, relaxed unemployment claim requirements, and enacted other interventions to try to slow the spread of COVID-19. Hampden and Plymouth counties had their first cases. Plymouth County's first case, in Hanover, resulted from travel. Hampden County's first case tested positive at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield; the hospital noted an additional 23 suspected cases.
On March 16, Brockton announced its first case, and the mayor declared a state of emergency for the city. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh ordered construction projects to shut down by March 23, maintaining only minimal staff for security. He also announced that all branches of the Boston Public Library would close beginning that night. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) announced that, starting March 17, it would run the subway and buses at Saturday levels of service during the week, with express buses still running, ferries not running, and commuter rail running on a modified schedule. The next day, service was increased on the Blue Line, Green Line E branch (which serves Longwood Medical Area), and some bus lines to reduce crowding. Frequency on Massport shuttles to Logan International Airport was reduced or canceled.
The number of hospitalized patients with suspected or known infections quadrupled to 53 between March 16 and 17. Major hospitals began reusing protective gear or asking the public for donations of masks.
The number of cases where initial exposure was under investigation began to rise rapidly, whereas cases tracked to Biogen attendees and household contacts continued an overall mild decline. On March 19, Governor Baker activated up to 2,000 Massachusetts National Guard to assist in the management of the pandemic. The number of cases increased by 72, putting the total at 328, with 119 in Middlesex County. Franklin and Hampshire countiesboth in Western Massachusetts and the last non-island countieshad their first confirmed cases of COVID-19.
On March 20, Massachusetts experienced its first death due to COVID-19. The fatality was an 87-year-old man from Suffolk County, who was hospitalized and who had preexisting health conditions. Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County had its first case, a 50-year-old man in Tisbury. This was the thirteenth of 14 counties in Massachusetts to report a case of COVID-19. The cities of Somerville and Cambridge closed non-essential businesses.
Governor Baker announced that 5,207 people had been tested for COVID-19 in Massachusetts through state and commercial laboratories. That night the state announced its second death due to COVID-19, a woman from Middlesex County in her 50s who had a preexisting health condition. Nantucket County, the last county to have no cases of the virus, reported its first COVID-19 case. In order to reduce contact between drivers and customers, the MBTA began rear-door boarding on above-ground stops for buses, the Green Line, and the Mattapan Line, except for passengers with disabilities who need to use the front door.
March 22–31
On March 22, Nantucket issued a shelter-in-place order, to start March 23 and end on April 6. Exceptions were made for essential services to remain open. Governor Baker instructed people in mainland Massachusetts with second homes in Nantucket and Dukes County to stay on the mainland. Three new deaths were reported by Massachusetts DPH, two men, both in their 70s, from Hampden and Berkshire counties, and a man in his 90s from Suffolk County.
On March 23, Governor Baker announced a stay-at-home advisory effective from noon March 24 until noon April 7. Nonessential businesses were ordered to close physical workplaces, and restaurants and bars were restricted to offering takeout and delivery. People were told they could go out to obtain essential goods and services, such as groceries and medicine, but should follow social distancing protocols.
On March 24, the number of cases jumped by 382 to 1,159, with two new deaths attributed to COVID-19. This unusually large jump in cases (49%, versus 20–28% in the previous five days) was attributable to Quest Diagnostics processing 3,843 tests in one day, yielding 267 of the state's 382 new positive results.
On March 25, the Commissioner of Public Health issued emergency regulations for grocery stores and pharmacies, requiring them to designate a daily shopping hour for senior citizens and provide checkout line distancing markers, hand washing and sanitizer for employees, disinfecting wipes for customers to use on carts. A ban on reusable bags became mandatory, overriding local bans on single-use plastic bags and eliminating fees for store-provided bags. Self-service food stations were ordered to be closed, and regular sanitization was required.
On March 27, the state extended the tax filing deadline to July 15 and announced new travel guidelines. State officials announced that the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner, Monica Bharel, had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2; she had mild symptoms and planned to recover at home.
On March 30, the state announced that it had conducted almost 43,000 tests of Massachusetts residents, with Quest Diagnostics having conducted 21,321 (almost half) of the total tests administered. Later that evening, the MBTA announced that 18 transit workers had tested positive for the virus. In addition, the Boston Police Department confirmed that 19 officers and three civilian employees had all tested positive.
April April 1–7
The Archdiocese of Boston announced that eight priests had tested positive for the disease. On April2 Boston Mayor Walsh announced plans to convert the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) into a field hospital, later named Boston Hope, with 500 beds assigned to the homeless and 500 to accept COVID-19 patients from city hospitals.
On April 2, more than 500 healthcare workers in Boston hospitals were reported to have tested positive for COVID-19.
On April 5, Boston Mayor Walsh announced a voluntary city-wide curfew for non-emergency workers in Boston from 9p.m. to 6a.m., and asked all Bostonians to wear face coverings in public.
April 8–14